


Aay'han

by threepios



Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Angst, Father-Daughter Relationship, Father-Son Relationship, Han Solo/Leia Organa - Freeform, Humor, Love, Luke Skywalker & Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:20:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27314698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/threepios/pseuds/threepios
Summary: In search for the Child's species, Din starts to realize he is way over his head and bigger forces are in play. Desperate to find someone that knows or understands this species, he is directed to Tatooine in search for one of the Mandalorians biggest enemies. A Jedi.
Relationships: Din Djarin/Luke Skywalker
Comments: 19
Kudos: 192





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Slight spoiler warning for the end of S2 EP1 of the Mandalorian. A sort explanation of what happens at the end so if you haven't seen the episode I would advise to wait until you do.

**One**

**(** _Six Years and 2 months_

 _after the Battle of Endor_ **)**

* * *

  
  
  
  
  


_Aliit ori'shya tal'din_ **(** _saying_ **)**

 **[** _Ah-LEET-or-EESH-yah-tal-DEEN_ **]**

_Mando'a for “family is more than blood”_

Din Djarin’s life had changed the moment he had opened that pram and laid eyes on that little green child. He had been confused, as one would be upon seeing a supposedly 50 year old being looking no older than a few years old. Yet he had risked his own life to save him. He had destroyed that IG bounty hunter droid and had taken the Child for his own. 

Of course it had taken actual time to get used to him. Yet Din would give his own life if it meant the Child-- his child-- would live another day.

After the mess on Nevarro, he had taken his chances to the rest of the galaxy. Not planning to return any time soon until he had reunited the Child with his species. That was proving to be harder than he thought, seeing as no one had ever really seen anything like the Child before, it was leading him to many dead ends. Din would go to many places, many slums if that meant getting closer to getting this little guy home. All these slums though proved terribly as it was usually just nugatory just some idiots trying to cash in the bounty on their heads.

That’s what led Din to Tatooine, probably one of the least favorable places but there were whispers of another Mandalorian being in a settlement. Said settlement was less than beautiful, it was dull and depressing. Yet he had met the man-- or “The Marshal”-- that was in charge of these parts, that was being mistaken for a Mandalorian. He hadn’t earned the armor he wore he had bought of some of the Jawas that had come across it somewhere in the desert. It had angered Din deeply, his people had taken the armor they wore seriously. It was some way to prove their ability to do what they do best.

All that was over though as Tusken and the townspeople came together to ravage what was left of the Krayt Dragon. He felt a sweet satisfaction knowing that he had somehow managed to bring together two unlikely groups. Din himself understood the Tuskens, having spent more time on Tatooine then he would like to admit; he had learned their language and why they act in the ways they do. Afterall, they were the natives of this planet, everyone else seemed to come much later. 

Placing a hand on top of the Child’s head he gave a small graveling hum causing him to look up with big blinking eyes. It looked as though he were trying to decipher whatever lay behind that helmet Din wore. 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t find anything,” Din started, “it seems I can’t get anything right with you, huh, pal?”

It was very unlike Din to be insecure but the more he searched for the Child’s planet of origins the more he felt like he was failing to his promises. 

In response the Child raised his tiny hand, opening and closing it, cooing. Surely, if Din understood him, he would be offering some type of comfort. With a small smile on his face, Din held out his gloved finger which the Child quickly latched onto with his soft grip. This kid was growing on him and it made his determination flair again. 

Din looked to the huge slab of Krayt meat sitting on the back of his speeder and raised his shoulders. “We better hurry back before this gets rotten.”

“Um,” Din turned his head towards Cobb Vanth who stood before him with the Mandalorian armor in his arms. In all honesty, Din wasn’t completely sure how to feel about Vanth. As he understood the man’s motivations and morals, he simply couldn’t understand why he would do some of the things he did. Yet he kept quiet and allowed Vanth to finish. “I got this all together, it's yours now. It belongs to your people.” 

Without much hesitancy, Din took the green, red, and yellow armor into his arms. He wondered what Mandalorian had worn this. Why had he come to Tatooine and how did he die? Was it a bounty hunter? Maybe another Krayt Dragon? No, no. No one would be able to survive that. Well, maybe no one outside of Din Djarin. 

“Rumors are it was Boba Fett’s,” Vanth crossed his arms and glanced around as if hoping his people wouldn’t overhear him. 

Din looked back to him. “Boba Fett?” The name was distantly familiar but no one solid came to mind. 

Vanth sighed softly. “He was some hot shot bounty hunter that usually did Jabba the Hutt’s bidding. That was until that Jedi came into town, of course.”

Now _that_ had Din’s attention. A Jedi had come to Tatooine to, what, kill Jabba the Hutt and this Boba Fett? It didn’t seem like anything a Jedi would concern themselves with affairs on Tatooine while there was Rebellion in need-- or more correctly, a New Republic in need. 

“He’s our little hero here, the Jedi,” Vanth continued, oblivious to Din’s inner turmoils. “Rumors of him actually living here in his early years started a few weeks back. Supposedly some kids in Mos Espa.”

“Where could I find this Jedi?” Din asked. 

Vanth laughed, placing a hand on his stomach. “Hell if I know. We’re so far out, you would be better off asking the _Tuskens_ if they know anything.” When Din didn’t give a laugh in return, Vanth cleared his throat and sighed. “I would try the Hosnian system, that seems to be the new hotspot for the New Republic.” 

Din gave a stiff nod, swinging his leg to straddle the speeder. To his relief, the Child was quick to crawl inside the bag on his hip, his little head bumping Din’s elbow. A reassurance that he was there and he was prepared to leave when his guardian was. The faith that the Child put into Din was touching and it made him feel warm and it made him feel as though he had finally got the chance to be everything he wasn’t before. He wondered if the New Republic would listen to him, if someone within their ranks would attempt to reach him-- most specifically the Jedi. 

Vanth raised his eyebrows at the prolonged silence and the fact that this Mandalorian wasn’t moving confused him. He took a step back and nodded. “I hope that you have luck in your journeys,” he gave a friendly smile. “If you ever need somewhere to lie low, Freetown is always here for you. Of course, that is, if we aren’t…”

Din revved the engine of the speeder and threw a last good-bye to his new companion. “Take care of yourself, Vanth, and you’re people.” 

With that, Din left the Tuskens and the people of Freetown to congregate by themselves.

The twin suns were setting as Din made his way across the desert and closer to the Mos Espa spaceport, hopefully Peli would understand that he hadn’t gotten much money (again) and would need to add this visit on his ever growing tab. He felt the Child under his arm shift and tried to get a look at the suns but Din, in his panic, tucked him neatly back inside the bag. He would surely look at the sunset some other time but on a moving speeder with meat that needed to be refrigerated before it got too spoiled, that time wasn’t now. 

He pondered the next move, what he would do once he got back to the _Razor Crest_. He would try to set up coordinates for the Hosnian System and then somehow get in communication with whatever command is set up within this Republic. Din worried that this wouldn’t be safe yet he couldn’t ever remember liking to make things safe or easy for himself; perhaps if he did, he would’ve left the Child with the Empire and allowed them to do whatever tests they pleased. 

A part of Din saw a younger version of himself within the child, an innocence but also a wit and mischievous flare within him. Maybe the Child was growing on him more than Din had intended to. He felt parental protectiveness over the Child. He wondered if his own parents felt this way whenever there was a dire situation, he wondered if this is how they felt during the siege….

With a small sigh, his shoulders slumped and they finally passed the outskirts of town. So entrapped in his mind he hardly noticed the long while that it took to get back to the hangar. He did seem to snap out of it as soon as Peli’s voice broke the silence: 

“Did you get me my credits?” While Din hopped off his speeder, taking the Child from his bag and holding him in his arm. Peli let out a huff. “Let me guess--”

“Add it to the tab.” Din finished for her, his eyes moving to her only to find Peli assessing him with amusement. 

“I’m not entirely surprised. Although, there was a wee bit of hope in me for you to return with shiny new-- well, shiny is _a lot_ of hope but it wouldn’t hurt to dream, now would it?” Peli pushed some of her curls from her face and crossed her arms. “In other news, my droids did some small maintenance and found nothing wrong except a fuel leak. They didn’t break anything this time.”

“What an improvement,” Din regarded sarcastically, not impressed with the droids either way. He gained more appreciation for them because of IG but there was still some hesitancy around them. 

“Hey, hey! Don’t bad mouth my droids.” She waved a hand, turning away as R5 rolled up slowly. “They’re trying.” 

“Mhm.” Din agreed softly, wanting to just get on his ship for the night. 

Peli seemed to notice his distance and raised a thin eyebrow. “So, are you leaving then?” 

Din weighed his options, he had sent many transmissions in his life but one of this importance hadn’t really occurred to him before. He knew that Peli was...older and must’ve had some experience with important information or something along those lines. His arm seemed to tighten around the Child and he let out a coo due to the action, staring up at Din. After another moment of silence, he cooed again with a tilted head. 

“There is...something I need help with,” Din started, catching Peli’s attention, “this child is very important, so important that I need a...Jedi.” 

“Jedi, eh?” Peli blinked at him, she brought her hand up to rub at her wrinkled chin. She started to nod slowly, letting out an almost surprised breath. “Okay, so you need _my_ help?”

“Exactly. I’ve trusted you many times before, Peli. I will repay you for this.”

Peli shook her head, for the first time since he had arrived, looking hesitant. “It’s fine, Mando, trust me.” She nodded and turned towards her R5 unit, patting his top. “We can hook R5 up to your computers and then try to make contact.”

Din agreed with a simple nod. They boarded the sleek ship and Peli whistled, appreciating the interior once more. It was a real difference to how it was the year before, he had gotten more compartments for his weapons but also spaced out a little room for the Child just so he could live more comfortably like he himself did. There were silver streaks on the wall cutting across the dark shade of grey that painted the walls alongside it. He was rather proud when he could afford such a thing but the rest of the ship remained the same. Nice and simple.

The red and white droid rolled up to the terminal with a trill which Din loosely translated to: [ _This will be as easy as imploding myself!_ ] 

Din shot Peli a questioning look only to receive a confused frown in return. He watched anxiously as R5 plugged himself into the terminal. 

Peli turned to him again and nudged his side. “Have you figured out what you’re going to say?” 

Din, in fact, hadn’t thought about everything he would say. He knew it would be formal

but he had no idea how else he could approach such a subject. “Partly.” He answered shortly. 

“You’re not just going to say that you’re holding an important child and they better come and get it, are you? Because that sure sounds like you’ve kidnapped a child.” Peli accused.

Her tone was partly amused and partly exasperated as she regarded the man with questions in her eyes. Din decided that he would feel much more comfortable if he leaned up against the wall, causing the Child to reach out for Peli. The woman jumped at the opportunity, snatching him from Din’s hold before he could even offer to exchange. He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. 

“You have to make it clear that you’re not a kidnapper and that you’ve seeked peace in order to reunite a child with its kind. That you need to be by his side the whole way...assuming that you do?” Din nodded and Peli sighed, rocking slightly as the Child’s head dipped. His eyelids started to close and he yawned quietly. She seemed to contemplate something more before muttering a swear under her breath and continuing. “If it's a Jedi you need then I would ask for Luke Skywalker directly, or something that’s in kahoots with him at least.”

Din frowned with confusion, placing one of his hands on his belt. Everything today seemed to be mentioning a whole bunch of superheroes he had no idea of. At least this time, it was something he had heard of. 

“Luke Skywalker… that’s the kid that destroyed the Death Star..?” He asked hesitantly, not really having caught up on the news. 

Peli looked at him with disgust as if the thought of him not knowing the man who saved the galaxy from the Empire was just offensive. “He also helped kill the Emperor and Darth Vader himself. What do you do in your free time?”

“Sleep.” 

There was no indication in his tone that let off the hint that he was jesting but that he was serious. As usual. Peli sometimes wondered if his expression ever changed under that mask, was it insecurity to open up or something else. She just hoped that, some day, he felt free. 

“Well, that’s who I would hit for first.” Peli finished, shrugging. “If you don’t get through to him maybe you’ll have to find some rogue Jedi.”

‘ _There aren’t many Jedi to be rogue._ ’ Din thought to himself. He looked towards the ceiling and mulled over what words he would use in this transmission. He didn’t want to come off as desperate or even a little overwhelmed. Both valid and emotions that he had been experiencing for the better part of a year. He just wanted his child to be at peace yet he had been running back and forth to every planet and just complicating his life. 

“R5, I’m ready.”

  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  


Luke Skywalker adjusted his robes as he and his padawan approached the Republic senate. 

It had been six years since he brought Anakin Skywalker back to the light, since he defeated the Emperor, and since he fully enveloped the light within him. It had been a rough time, helping build a New Republic and trying to establish a new creed of Jedi. At first, no one came and he was left to go to and fro to places that held the old secrets of the Jedi. He found things similar to Grakkus’ vault of Jedi artifacts, holocrons, texts, ect. He had attempted to go back to the arena, to retrieve the things that he could not get the last time he had been held captive. To his great disappointment, the room had been wiped clean due to Vader’s complete ease in taking all the artifacts. Leaving Luke with nothing but dust and emptiness.

That soon led to him stepping back from his Jedi business at the same time that Leia gave birth to her children: Jacen and Jaina Solo. The lights of his world and just two kids that always seemed to bring happiness to his life. 

After a while, he got back into the steady of things. He strived towards more and, in the process, he found students who would come to learn his teachings. 

One example was the 17-year-old walking the same pace as him, Kirana Ria was a young girl orphaned from the planet Dathomir, strong with the Force. She was very hesitant, soft spoken, and just not overly confident. Yet she followed Luke’s confident stride with her own, her hands within the confines of her robes. She was one of the only students that was rather adamant to work with Luke closely, to get extra help. She didn’t feel confident enough to use the Force by herself. 

Luke hoped to change that soon. 

Speaking of change, the whole reason that Luke was going to the senate in the first place. He had felt a cord of worry and anxiety struck from their bond in the Force, he tried to reach out and question what could possibly be wrong that it caught Leia off guard. She didn’t respond, not immediately. Instead she commd him. 

“ _You should come down here...there’s something new._ ”

Leia wasn’t usually one to let herself concerned about things “new” with Luke so when he heard the conviction and hesitancy within her voice, he agreed in an instant. He was about to leave when he realized that he would have to reschedule his studying with Kirana. Which she immediately accepted then Luke (in all his braillancy) knew that it would be great practice for Kirana to get out of her comfort zone, gradually. 

The senate was busy with new senators and old ones going to and from their offices or even out of the luminous building itself. He paid little mind but from the corner of his eye he could see Kirana increasingly become more tense as she passed more people. He reached over and gently grasped her elbow. 

Her wide brown eyes met his, swallowing a lump in her throat. “It’s so loud in here, Master Luke.” 

Luke mentally reached out to her and sent a flow of calm and comfort. He smiled at her comfortingly. “Calm yourself. Anyone here is not here to hurt you.” He promised gently. “Focus on my presence, it is just you and me among...whispers.” 

Luke was… not usually the one to comfort or calm down people, he himself was a very anxious and unnerved person..maybe that’s why he loved to teach Kirana so much. Luke saw a part of himself in the girl. She would be a far greater Jedi than Luke, that’s for sure. She would help more people than Luke could ever imagine doing so. 

Kirana closed her eyes and nodded, focussing solely on that glittering beam of light she pictured Luke’s own presence. The ball of light was a green with twisting edges of blue, yellow, and pink. Love, happiness, sadness, and acceptance. Kirana’s ability to touch the Force so uniquely was what had drawn her to Luke two years ago. Kirana had thought him happy then but it seemed as though he were in one of his slumps, as he was now, the yellow not as bright as it usually was. 

She watched as that ball of light pulsed, calming, almost hypnotical. With each beat, her breathing followed and when she opened her eyes, she saw that Luke was standing before her with a child-like grin on his face. His hands came from her shoulders and he straightened. 

“Better?” His voice was soft and delicate like a cloud on Bespin. 

Kirana gave a strained smile, feeling a tad bit better. “Yes, master.”

Luke hummed softly and they continued on their way to the private offices of Mon Mathma herself. 

From his days in the Rebellion, his previous fear of Mon was gone due to her leniency for Han, Leia, and Luke. Much to everyone else’s chagrin, the wonderful trio usually got away with most things in their youth; they (or more Luke) found it very freeing. They all had different backgrounds yet still managed to come together and save the day, to put it simply. They were family, whether they fully acknowledged that or not. 

“Master Luke?” Kirana broke the silence again. 

“Yes, Kia?” 

“Do you know why Senator Organa summoned you?” 

Luke gave a simple shake of his head and the corner of his lips pulled down. “Unfortunately Leia seemed to be in the mystery mood today.” He teased softly. 

Kirana, however, wasn’t amused. She gave her master a worried frown, eyes staring at the ground. “What if it’s something dangerous and-and you’re in danger?” 

Common worries that Luke himself didn’t really worry about anymore. He usually got out with some minor injuries and continued on with life. Yet Kirana seemed to hold his life in this high regard, she worried every time he left for a mission and excused it by saying that she was simply worried that the work in the Force would be pushed back upon his death. A part of Luke knew that she just didn’t want to lose him, many people had expressed this before-- Leia and (hesitantly) Han, some rebels who were just worried that they couldn’t do this without him. It was the usual. 

It was Luke’s normal. 

“Then I will adapt,” Luke let the answer flow off his lips, “as a Jedi should.”

“Adapt and attack.” Kirana muttered under her breath. 

Luke held up a finger. “When necessary.” 

Kirana fell silent and stepped back for a moment, letting Luke lead them into the room. To his surprise, Han and Chewbacca were also there. So this wasn’t just meant for him to handle but this was something that multiple people would be sent on. His eyes moved to Leia and he opened himself up for her, hoping that she would take the chance to at least reassure that everything was okay. She at least sent a wave of calm to him. 

‘ _Everything’s okay._ ’ She told him, not looking away from his eyes. 

He tilted his head. ‘ _Really? I’m getting another vibe here._ ’

Leia sighed mentally, her hands fiddling with one another. “We’ve received a transmission from Tatooine.” She said aloud. 

Luke’s eyes noticeably widened while Han let out a sigh, leaning against his Wookiee friend. “I hate when you two do that telepathy stuff, miss out on half the conversation.” 

Mon ignored this, neatly folding her hands on her desk. “Master Skywalker, thank you for joining us. If you would like to take a seat?” She gestured to the seat in front of her which Luke took and he was vaguely aware of Kirana stepping back, uncomfortable being in this room. 

“I’m going to assume that this transmission was...not comforting?” Luke inquired.

He could not remember anyone on Tatooine that would actively seek out his communications. Fixer surely wouldn’t want to see him seeing as their last conversation ended up with him being defeated in the Stone Needle, it surely wasn’t the Blacklighter family seeing as they blamed Luke for Biggs’ death. His heart ached every time he thought of that. The disgust on Mrs. Darklighter’s face as she declared that he was not the boy she knew, that he was the only reason that Biggs ever went after the Rebellion. Of course, that wasn’t the truth. Yet...Luke couldn’t blame her for thinking such. 

So who could possibly want to speak to him?

“It was unsettling but it was slightly worrisome.” Mon confirmed, she took a deep breath. “We’ve received a transmission from a Mandalorian who seems to be in need of a Jedi-- at least, that’s what he says.” 

“Aren’t the Mandalorians and Jedi sworn enemies?” Kirana questioned, sounding concerned. When eyes shifted to her, she shrunk and hid her blushing face from the prying eyes.

Luke nodded slowly, eyes distant. “They used to, in the days of the Clone Wars...who knows the mentality now-a-days.” 

“Well, that’s reassuring,” Han muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “Are we going to see this transmission or are we just going to stand around _talking about_ it.” 

“Han,” Leia warned. She shook her head, motioning for the attention to be directed towards the hologram. 

Luke’s eyes brightened slightly when the figure came into view. The Mandalorian was definitely a mandalorian, his shining Beskaar armor was an alluring grey, a brown piece of fabric hung from one shoulder. He seemed to want to appear unnerved but the subtle clenching of his hands told him that he was nervous and...anxious? Perhaps he was in a situation that he found unconventional. He placed a hand on his chin and he subconsciously rubbed. 

“ _Diplomat of...the New Republic,_ ” he started firmly. His voice seemed to be very smooth, satisfying to listen to yet gave off the illusion of being detached and cold. “ _I am Din Djarin. A Mandalorian and bounty hunter, I am asking for the assistance of the Republic to help reunite a child with his species. One I have never seen before. I am under the impression that the Jedi would be able to assist me. One under the name of Luke Skywalker?_ ” 

Eyes turned to Luke while he perked up a bit more, intrigued. 

“ _I’ve been told that he helps those in need and, well, I am in need. I want this child to be taken care of, to be back with his people._ ” He seemed to turn his head and thought for a moment, turning back to the port. “ _I will be on the planet of Takodana awaiting a reply. Then I will reveal my coordinates. I hope to hear a response soon._ ”

The transmission flickered out and the room dipped into silence. 

Luke furrowed his eyebrows and sighed softly. It seemed as though he truly was in trouble, confused, and frustrated. He wanted Luke’s help and he seemed truly genuine in his request. He bit his lower lip anxiously, he truly couldn’t know if this was real or not. 

“A random species he doesn’t know about?” Han spoke up, sounding suspicious. “I think he’s making this up.”

“Han.” Leia repeated, rubbing her forehead. “I do not believe he is lying. There is so much we don’t know about the galaxy.”

“Yeah but a child randomly wandered out of the unknown regions? Leia, even you would think that’s fishy.” Han pointed out. 

[ _Many things have wandered out of the Unknown Regions. We’ve bared witness to that._ ] Chewbacca chipped in. 

“No, no...this is a genuine request.” Luke spoke up, gaining everyone’s attention. He met everyone’s eyes one at a time before stopping on Leia once again. “He seems distressed or… vexed that he had to come to this point. He wants something over with.”

“Our plan is to send Captain Solo and Chewbacca to Takodana since he was familiar with the planet.” Mon informed, she nodded to Luke. “I’m sure that you would like to accompany them to Takodana?”

“Of course.” Luke nodded. 

Mon hummed, staring at him for a moment longer then looked down at the papers on her desk. “You all are dismissed.”

“Thank you for your time, Mon.” Luke stood and glanced at Leia obviously saying they would discuss this later. He exited the room with Kirana quickly following his steps. His mind is plagued with the thought of what species could possibly rest on his shoulders. 

Kirana grabbed his arm and stopped him in his tracks. “Master, the Mandalorians don’t trust the Jedi! This could be a trap.” Her voice was scratchy and more high pitch as she seemingly pleaded with him not to go forward with this mission. 

Luke paused, staring ahead before he met her eyes with an amused smile. “You have a point,” Kirana grinned at him, happy that he was listening to her. “Seeing as you have a great knowledge on the Mandalorians, you will go with Han to Takodana.” 

“M-Me?” Kirana stuttered as Luke continued on walking, his hands now clasped behind his back. She stumbled forward and started to speak erratically, hands flying. “M-Master, I think you misunderstood me! I can’t go on this mission.”

“Oh, but you can.” Luke stopped, placing a hand on Kirana’s shoulder. “You are very intuitive and very observant. Something Han isn’t. If you go to Takodana you will be able to confirm the importance of this claim. I would trust you with my life.”

Kirana’s eyes widened and her lower lip wobbled. “Please don’t put this much responsibility on my shoulders..” she tried desperately. 

“Believe in yourself, Kia. You can do anything.” Luke assured quietly, he tried to engrain that into her mind but saw that she was still very much anxious. 

All Kirana needed was to believe in herself and it was obvious that they were still a very long way from being fully confident in her abilities. She could just tell when someone was being deceitful if she was in the same room with them long enough. Her abilities could be powerful if she just believed. 

She stared up at him as if she was a daughter being told by her father that she had more chores. 

“Come on,” he said softly. “Let’s get you ready.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Din meets up with Kirana and the Falcon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to mention that aay'han means - bittersweet perfect moment of mourning and joy - *remembering and celebrating*
> 
> So take that as you will ;)
> 
> Also I am incredibly surprised the attention this is getting ngl. You guys don't know how much it means to me! I hope I continue to bring good chapters! This is out to anyone who voted blue, I hope you're taking today to celebrate the defeat of DT!!
> 
> WARNING: I know a lot of people find comfort in the Jedi, I do too, and some false info about them can make them upset. Din does have some inner monologue about what he's heard about the Jedi so watch out for that!!
> 
> ( For the first part I think it would be very cool if you listened to Roger Woodward's "Rosemary Remembers" from "The Man from Snowy River")

Kirana woke up early in the morning, the sliver of sunlight peeked from her window. It was barely dawn yet she still woke up before the sun could fully break over the horizon. She stared at her ceiling for a moment before she dragged her feet over to the window, wrapping her small fleece blanket around her shoulders. The sky seemed to swirl with luminous purples and oranges, it was almost like a painting presented before her. 

She placed her chin on her knees and closed her eyes, listening to the miniscule creaks within the Jedi Temple. If she were to focus hard enough she could hear every snore and breath of every padawan’s and Jedi in the temple. She huffed and opened her eyes again. Kirana didn’t want to focus too hard or else she would end up invading their minds, would anger them and upset them and they would surely go to Master Luke to tell him how much of a menace she was. 

How dangerous she was.

She started to nervously pick at the paint on her nails, reminiscing about the last time such a thing had happened. Called down to Luke’s office, seeing Jam Solusar (another master within the Temple that was...rather difficult to work with) standing beside Luke’s desk. Her master wore a tired smile while Solusar spoke loudly (on the brink of yelling) of how he had felt as though she was carrying a great darkness. For one act that her subconscious had committed. 

Luke was rather quiet the whole time while she tried to apologize, her hands coming out and waving frantically while the man just spoke over her. She recoiled as Solusar continued. 

“ _She wasn’t ready and never will be!_ ” Solusar had turned from Kirana and to Luke who placed his fingers against his mouth. “ _She must be sent back to Corellia._ ”

Kirana remembered the horror and the heartbreak she felt upon the words. The hot tears that had taken her eyes as she looked to her hands to avoid their gazes. She had felt fear while there was a strained silence then--

Luke had _laughed_ , waving a hand. “ _If we discourage our students at the start, how are they ever supposed to grow confident, Jam?_ ” He stood and placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “ _Take some rest, you’ll feel differently tomorrow._ ”

Solusar clenched his jaw, scoffing and turning on his heel. On his way out, he had given Kirana a dark glare, bumping shoulders with her. 

What made Kirana fear herself in those moments was that Solusar himself had faced the Dark Side, had felt the pull and the swirling of power and had overcome that. Why wouldn’t he be able to sense such a thing within herself? 

The moment the door had closed, she pressed her hands against her eyes and sobbed. She cried and cried. She had forgotten Luke being there until his arms were wrapping around her, silently comforting her. She pushed away to stare up at him with wide and heartbroken eyes, frantic to explain herself. 

“ _I-I promise, Master Luke, I would-would_ never _\--_ ” 

“ _I know, Kia,_ ” Luke’s voice held no doubt nor did he sound as though she were pitying her. It was understanding. “ _You’re not evil at all. We just need to learn...shielding, right?_ ”

It was never “you” it has always been “we” since the start of her training. That’s what had made Kirana want to pursue training with him in the first place; he had so easily made everyone around feel cared about-- made them feel important. It was different from the environment she had grown up around. 

She was thankful for Luke’s compassion because it took her away from her dangerous path of greed and fortune, taking her to one of peace and patience (a piece of the code she had yet to fully understand). Kirana glanced when there was a soft knock on the door, it wasn’t Master Luke seeing as it was one of his off days (one day that he slept in). A frown took her lips as she leaned forward, closing her eyes in an attempt to decipher who was at her door. 

Much to Kirana’s pleasure, she discovered that it was her long time friend (and recent crush) Erdé Voskoké. She sent a wave of reassurance towards Erdé, ensuring that she was awake and okay that they came in. 

Erdé came in looking as beautiful as ever, their curled raven hair pulled back in a loose bun, sweater and shorts too big for them. Kirana grinned at them, perking up as they joined her on the window sill, both of them sitting in a comfortable silence. Erdé’s presence was something that seemed to so easily match with Kirana’s own, their Force wrapping and comforting one another. Kirana couldn’t imagine what it would be like without Erdé. 

“I heard you will be leaving with General Solo for Takodana.” Erdé said, their accented voice was like a honey to Kirana’s ears. Their bright green eyes seemed to rest on Kirana with disappointment. “We talked yesterday, why didn’t you say anything?”

Kirana seemed to immediately stiffen up. She hadn’t told them simply because she hadn’t gotten the guts. Everything she had looked at their beaming smile and heard their deep and wheezy laugh, she recoiled and just allowed herself to enjoy that moment of peace. That seemed to come back and bite her in the rear end as Erdé waited longer for her answer. 

“I…” there really was no way to get out of this conversation, “I didn’t want you to miss me.”

‘ _Great job, Kirana. A half truth_.’ She scolded herself. 

Erdé let out a noise from their nose, shaking their head and turning their eyes to the sun that was now showing more of itself. “I would miss you either way, Kirana. Whether or not you told me… I would miss you.” 

Kirana’s eyes widened, mouth dropping open almost comically. Erdé let out a chuckle, pushing her face away with their hand teasingly. Kirana grabbed their wrist, holding it close as she kept her eyes staring deeply into their own. 

“You would miss me?” The question sounded ridiculous, even to Kirana herself. So when she received the ‘you’re joking, right?” look from Erdé, she ducked her head with a blush and released Erdé’s wrist. 

She felt like a fumbling idiot whenever she was with Erdé. They just managed to make Kirana open up like no one else could, she could say anything she wanted and there would be no judgment, could make a backhanded comment on one of the padawan’s and Erdé would just roll their eyes, telling her that she needed to be more kind. 

Erdé was one of the only people that didn’t make fun of Kirana’s time spent with Luke in training. 

Erdé reached forward and tucked some of Kirana’s hair from her face, their hands perfectly shaping itself with her cheek. Kirana’s mind buzzed, her eyes widening and lips parting once again as her face flared up like a lightsaber of the Sith. 

“You’re so cute when you’re acting naive,” Erdé teased, taking notice of the blush igniting Kirana's face. 

Kirana blinked at them before she realized that Erdé was indeed making fun of her. In retaliation, she pushed their hand away and rubbed her cheek with her blanket. “I don’t want your cooties.” 

Erdé rolled their eyes, unable to stop the laugh from bubbling out of their mouth. “You’re acting like a youngling!” They poked her side. 

Kirana jumped, scooting away. “I am not! And don’t tickle me!” 

“Whatever do you mean?” Erdé asked, feigning innocence as they reached over and jabbed their hands on both sides of Kirana’s sides. 

Kirana tried to respond but she was interrupted by her own burst of laughter. She knew that she was being loud and that it was bound to wake someone up but, for the first time in a long time, Kirana wanted to be selfish. 

And she took her chance to be such as she rolled onto the ground with Erdé following close behind. 

Kirana couldn’t remember the last time she had laughed so hard that she felt tears flowing from the corners of her eyes, her hands coming out to grasp Erdé’s arms. She wanted to surrender but at the same time she didn’t want this moment to end, to realize that she was indeed going away for about a week to meet up with some Mandalorian that would probably take her life. Something that she wouldn’t tell Erdé in a million years. 

She wouldn’t tell Erdé many things in hope of protecting her.

Kirana was laughing so hard she started to snort which made Erdé pause and give a gasp, their eyes playfully wide as they pulled back to sit on their rear. 

“Kirana Ria, did you just _snort_?”

Kirana glared, pushing up onto her elbows. “Of course not, it was the floorboards.” She knocked her knuckles against the light grey panels. 

Erdé rolled their eyes and looked to the ground with a blush. Kirana frowned, tilting their head with curious eyes. She felt a twinge of sadness and fear pool in Erdé’s Force, their hand clasped onto Kirana’s suddenly appearing very serious. 

“Not everyone is just sent on random missions, Ana...is this dangerous?” The previous concern they had shown was back and it made Kirana’s heart feel heavy with guilt. 

‘ _This is why you shouldn’t have told them. Now they’ll just worry and you’ll get into trouble with Luke for making problems._ ’ 

Kirana squeezed their hand, nibbling on her lower lip. “I-Master Luke wouldn’t send me on any mission that wasn’t _too_ dangerous.” 

Erdé looked bemused, shaking their head. “But it _is_ dangerous. What is going on?”

She sat up fully, picking at the fuzz on her pajama pants. “It’s nothing to worry about, really!” She tried to comfort them.

They just kept their expression cautiously impassive, it almost reminded her of Master Luke’s own expression when Kirana was to explain her rather mischievous behavior. Kirana stiffened, wrapping her arms around her legs and resting her chin on her knees once again. Erdé would be upset if they heard why she would be gone for a whole week but she assumed that they would be upset either way. 

Kirana resisted laughing at her own foolish thoughts, her absence would be a mere flash in Erdé’s life and everything would continue on normally. 

As Erdé had a group of friends, Kirana only had Erdé and Master Luke. No one wanted to hang around the girl who made them uncomfortable. She didn’t exactly blame them either. 

“Master Luke received word from a Mandalorian that they hold some child that is the last of its species,” Kirana finally answered, looking up at Erdé through her thin eyelashes. Her friend seemed to search their mind for what knowledge they had on Mandalorians but was beginning to grow frustrated. She finally decided that she would just continue, “he was going to go initially but I think he’s using it as some type of lesson now.”

“Well, that’s good, no?” Erdé reached forward, placing their hand on her arm. “Kirana, maybe Master Luke is trying to bring you through your final stages of training.”

The thought of that made the padawan freeze up, face paling as she slapped her hands over her face to shield herself from the outside world. She would not be ready for her Jedi trails any time soon and if _Luke Skywalker_ thought she was then he was truly insane. Kirana couldn’t imagine herself being able to take up her own padawan or even kneeling in front of Master Luke and swearing her life to the order. 

Not now, possibly never. 

She could hardly bring herself to construct a lightsaber (something she had seen a padawan do within an hour). She felt the burning judgement from the Master as she pulled Luke aside to explain that Kirana was the only one of the day that couldn’t complete the task. She had felt the worry and concern that came from Luke, unable to truly look at him as she clutched her kyber crystal in her hand with a vice grip.

There were some days where Kirana stressed that she was never meant to be a Jedi. That she’d never bring her family honor. 

Some days she just worried turning back to her old ways. 

“ _That’s completely normal_ ,” Master Luke had said after Kirana had expressed her concern for her lack of progress, “ _everyone faces their past some day._ ” 

She rubbed her eyes harshly with her pointer fingers, huffing heavily. “I’m not ready for the trails, no matter what Master Luke says.” She said brokenly, voice cracking by the end. 

Erdé blinked at her, finally understanding that this insecurity is deeply rooted and a delicate subject. They silently moved next to her, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close while Kirana let out a soft sob. 

“We all face our demons, whether they be standing up against someone or ourselves. We'll conquer them. We all fear.” Erdé rested their head on Kirana’s own, her arms wrapping around their middle and they just both sat there in silence...holding one another. 

“Even Jedi?” Kirana asked softly. 

“Even the greatest Jedi,” Erdé confirmed quietly. 

Kirana closed her eyes and, for a moment, she felt ethereal as she just took in the feeling of Erdé against her. She hummed softly. It felt like moments, seconds, and just minutes that they sat together. The soft fleece of Erdé’s sweater was almost as delicate as a new pillow, something that Kirana could bask in forever. 

Yet that came to an end when there was a knock on the door and the sun was beating against the exposed side of Kirana’s face. She pulled away from Erdé and immediately recognized Luke’s presence. 

As if she were a daughter about to be caught by her father, she shot up and held out a hand for Erdé to take. They stared up at her with confusion, obviously taking notice of her behavior. Kirana didn’t want to take the chance to respond and tell them that she was scared of Luke’s reaction about being alone in a room with another person at such early hours. She had this silly fear that Luke would act as though she had broken some type of rule. But she didn’t...because he wasn’t her father. 

Kirana gave Erdé a strained smile as she moved towards the door. She opened it and found her master looking as well rested as usual, his bright eyes seemed to rest on her with confusion, although his lips pulled upwards into a smile. He looked past her and saw Erdé, his eyebrows raising a fraction then went to Kirana who blushed brightly. 

“Erdé,” Luke’s morning voice was deep and unused to the dawn, “is everything okay?”

Erdé offered him a smile. “Of course, Master.” They looked to Kirana, eyebrows pulled together as if contemplating something before placing a hand on her shoulder and giving a soft squeeze. “Good luck on your little escape. I will miss you, Ana.” 

They slipped past Luke and Kirana, the latter’s eyes stuck on the retreating figure while Luke looked to her with even more confusion, tilting his head. His fingers came to his lips, softly stroking as he tried to decipher what his padawan was currently doing. 

“You were laughing,” he pointed out.

Kirana blinked and looked up at him, frowning. “I’ve laughed before.”

“Yes, but not that loudly or that...happily.” Luke leaned forward, concern on his face. “Are you happy?”

Kirana reached forward and pushed his face away, rolling her eyes. “Master Luke, you’re being weird again!” She scolded him teasingly. 

Moments like these were moments Kirana genuinely did look forward to with Luke, she felt as though he was actually making an effort to know her and to know why she was in the moods she is. She folded her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Is there a reason you came all the way down here, Master Luke?”

“Ah, yes,” Luke smiled, holding his arm out. “Han has arrived to start your journey to Takodana.” 

In an instant, Kirana’s mood dropped and she looked down to the floor. She had prepared, there was a bag resting near her door that was packed with things she required for her trip with General Solo. She wanted nothing more than to curl up and just face the fact that she would die on this mission. Mandalorians didn’t trust Jedi and she didn’t know how much she would have to attempt to stress this for Luke to understand.

After Kirana didn’t take his arm, Luke dropped it and squinted at her. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing too important.” Kirana was quick to shut down. 

Luke shook his head. “It matters if you’re upset.”

Kirana clenched her hands and let out a huff. “I-I don’t like this, this mission is too dangerous.” 

Luke sighed, rubbing his eye. “Kirana, Han and Chewie would never let you get--”

“Hurt,” she shook her head and snatched up her bag from the ground, slipping past Luke and started to make her way out of the Temple. She was really too tired and stressed to argue with her Master. 

Luke stood in shock for a moment before he turned and followed after her. “Slow down.” He reached out and took her arm. 

Kirana jumped back, shaking. “I do not believe I am ready for this, I told you but you’re sending me anyway. Am I really not wanted here?”

Luke blinked, shocked that she would ask such a thing. “You are wanted here but you have to learn to trust your instincts not your anxiety. It can trick you into overthinking and fearing something more.” 

“I can’t just do that.” Kirana said flatly. Her shoulders slumped and she closed her eyes. “I-I’m going to mess this up, I _always_ mess up.”

Luke sighed softly, almost as if he were sad for her and reached out, bringing her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around his middle and just listened to his heart, it was soft and beating steadily. Kirana sniffled as Luke started to rub her back. 

“You never mess anything up, it just takes you more practice and more time to learn. There’s nothing wrong with that.” 

“But the younglings work--”

“If you compare yourself to others capabilities then you’ll always be hard on yourself.” Luke pulled away and placed his hands on her shoulders. “You’ve got to trust me when I say you’re ready. I know when you are.” 

Kirana nodded shamefully, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “I’m...I’m sorry.” 

“It’s okay.” Luke affirmed. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, taking her bag from her. “I had my own troubles with telling when to trust myself versus the Force. I even had trouble with patience.”

Kirana blinked up at him with shock. “Patience, you?” 

Master Luke was probably one of the most patient people she knew, he seemed to always be waiting for something. 

He chuckled. “I’d say I’ve improved.” 

“I agree.” Kirana started to walk with him, the silence no longer strained or even holding trepidation. 

Luke sighed, looking to the ground. He certainly wasn’t an amazing teacher and he wasn’t a perfect man but the faith that his students placed in him was beyond anything he could even imagine. 

They placed their future in his hands and depended on him to tell them which direction to take. That horrified Luke sometimes. Yet he also realized this is the exact responsibility he needed to take to rebuild the Order. 

Sometimes he wondered if he was the right man for this. He wondered if his masters, if his father, and the Jedi before him would look at his progress and look at it-- and him-- with pride. He wondered if they held the same smiles and same fulfilment in their eyes as they did back on Endor. 

Luke wondered a lot. Han liked to poke fun at how much he worried himself with what’s to come and not what’s right in front of him. 

The main hangar was more quiet than it usually was, it still had the buzz of people but there wasn’t any rush in people’s steps or any yelling to the person across the hangar. It was currently at peace. The people that did occupy the hangar, were moving slowly as if they were almost caught in a trance. Luke didn’t exactly blame them, seeing as it was still very early in the morning. 

The only commotion that was coming out of the hangar was from Luke’s ever-so-amazing brother-in-law. Han could be seen from the entrance of the hangar on top of the Falcon, pointing and arguing with Chewbacca that stood on the floor. He winced, pausing in his stride as he pondered the different ways they could possibly approach this. 

Han wasn’t exactly happy that he was up so early and that was very evident by the way _he_ had woken _Luke_ up. Banging loudly on his door, groaning as if he had been stabbed and not the fact that he probably missed out on much needed sleep since the twins had arrived. Han even ignored the acknowledgement from Luke that he was very much awake and aware that his friend wanted to leave soon. He waited until he opened the door to truly threaten the Jedi: “ _Next time, I’m not taking your little daughter on some extravagant journey. I don’t need another Death Star run in._ ”

One of Han’s favorite things to do was to pick apart how much Kirana acted like Luke when he had first met him, even called her “the kid’s shadow” all the time. 

Probably one of the reasons Kirana was hesitant to join Han on this adventure. 

Much to Luke’s relief, R2 was making his way over to his owner. Just by the way he greeted him, bitterly, it was evident that his little droid was less than happy with Han’s behavior. 

“I know,” Luke said before R2 could get much in, stepping away from his student to rest a comforting hand on top of R2’s dome. “I-I know, pal. It’s _Han_ , he’s worse than Threepio sometimes.”

“ _Hey_!” Han called from on top of his ship, pointing a threatening wrench at his best friend. “I heard that.”

Luke sighed softly, joining Chewbacca’s side. “I apologize, Han.” 

“Don’t compare me to goldenrod, he’s on a different level of annoying.” 

[ _Says the guy whose lips got stuck to him._ ] Chewbacca said teasingly, electing a chuckle from himself and R2. 

Luke looked up to Han with wide eyes. “You _kissed_ Threepio?”

Han’s face was heated, either with anger or embarrassment (probably a hint of both) Luke wasn’t sure. He huffed, shaking his head. “It was Hoth, I was kidding around. He should’ve warned me!” 

Luke waved a hand, shaking his head with a fatherly sigh. “We’ll discuss this another time.” He turned to Kirana who was watching the interaction with a cautious gaze. With a soft smile, he waved her over and turned to address Han again. “Surely you remember Kirana?”

Han’s eyes settled on the girl, squinting for a moment before his lips blossomed into a grin. “Little Luke, how could I forget.” His face dropped and glared half heartedly at Luke again. “You’ve kept me from my sleep, kid, you owe me.”

“I owe you my life, Han.” Luke shot back. 

Han’s lower lip caught between his teeth before he clenched his jaw. “Don’t get all mushy on me now,” he pointed to Kirana, “get on board, we’ll be leavin’ soon.”

Han returned to his work and Chewbacca shook his head, entering the Falcon while R2 bumped into Luke’s leg with a sad beep. The Jedi Master turned to Kirana who gripped the straps of her bag in a vice like grip, obviously still unnerved. 

“This is only good-bye for now,” Luke reminded softly, smiling yet again. She nodded. He bumped her shoulder. “When I get that transmission from Artoo, I hope it’s good news.”

Kirana’s shoulders slumped and she pinched her face up. “Me too.” 

Luke’s face saddened upon realizing that her previous worries were still very much there and the more she resisted from entering the Falcon, the more hesitated to trust herself. He wanted to send her on this mission to trust herself more and he knew that he could get to the bottom of this Mandalorian problem better than possibly any other master at the temple. 

“Hey, think about it like this-- when you get back, you can hang out with Erdé!”

Kirana’s eyes widened and she jumped back from, shaking her head. “Good-bye, Master Luke.”

Luke’s face pulled down in a frown as he watched her disappear from his line of view, R2 at his feet was huffing in laughter that made him look down. “What’s so funny, you punk?” 

[ _Blind, you are._ ] R2’s trills seemed to mock Yoda’s own years before. 

Luke’s eyes widened and he placed his hands on his hips. “Will you quit talking like that?”

R2 paused before he retorted. [ _Who sounds like Threepio now?_ ]

“Artoo!” Luke scolded, glaring at him with a hint of amusement. “Go make sure Chewie doesn’t need help.”

The droid let out a satisfied hum as he entered the Falcon. 

“Can’t take a bit of criticism from your own?” Han teased as he wiped his hands with a rather oily cloth. 

“Han,” Luke said in a chiding tone, rolling his eyes. 

Han’s face screwed up and he made a disgusted noise from deep within his throat. “Don’t say it like that, you sound like your sister.” 

Luke’s eyebrows raised. “I don’t know if you know,” he looked around and leaned forward as if he was offering a secret. “We’re twins.”

Han stared at him flatly, crossing his arms over his chest as he sighed. “Someone needs to knock you on your ass, Luke. You’re getting too cocky.” He eyed his friend as Luke scoffed his shoe on the dusty floor of the hangar, he looked towards the ceiling and took a deep breath. “You’ll help Leia with the kids, right? That was the whole deal.”

Luke grinned at him. “Why would I pass up the offer to take care of my favorite niece and nephew.” 

“They’re like little Darth Vaders right now,” Han ran a hand through his hair, slightly tugging at the ends. “Jacen hid in the shower and waited until _3 am_ when I was going to the bathroom to jump me.” 

Luke blinked at the smuggler, the corners of his lips twitching up as he pictured the 4-year-old scaring a half asleep Han in the bathroom. He clenched his hand hoping that it would give him the strength to feel empathy for his brother-in-law. “Oh, how retched.” 

“ _I_ thought so, so I gave him a ear full. _Leia_ however…” Han grimaced, closing his eyes. “Was more upset with me waking her and Jaina up.”

Luke started to chuckle. “Who knew the one and only fear of Han Solo was his son jumping out of nowhere.” 

Han glared at him, his lips thinning as Luke threw his head back and held his gut with a hearty laugh. “As entertaining as my dilemmas are, I have one of your shadows to escort to Takodana, of all places.” He muttered to himself, turning towards the Falcon again very much ready to leave the kid behind in the hangar. 

“Han?” Said man took a pause and looked over his shoulder. “I’ll take care of the kids and Leia. Can you do something for me?”

The sincerity in Luke’s voice made him turn around and watch him with an inch of concern. “Yeah, what’s up, kid?”

Luke fiddled with his tunic, breathing in deeply then letting it out in a heavy sway. “Can you watch Kirana for me? There’s...there’s something I’m unsure of.”

Han’s eyebrows twitched and he nodded, refraining from cracking an ill timed joke (for possibly the first time in his life) as he glanced back. “She’s not going to go, like, insane and kill us, right?”

“Oh, Force no.” Luke snorted. “Just...I have a feeling.”

“Bad?”

“Uneasy.”

“Oh _great_.” Han rolled his eyes. 

Luke gave a bashful smile as he bowed his head slightly. “See you in a minute, Han.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Han waved a hand and entered the Falcon, the ramp hissed closed behind him. 

It seemed that the kid was always getting warnings at bad times. Luke and Leia had this wonderful habit of telling Han about their bad feelings just as they were heading on some no good mission. Obviously something that wouldn’t be in their favor. So, if the Force truly was on their side, Han always felt as though he would be screwed over. 

Maybe this was another one of those times.

When he entered he found that Kirana had made herself right at him playing Dejarik against R2. Her face was strained into concentration and on the verge of annoyance while the droid happily chirped away with no intent on losing any time soon. 

The girl pressed a button and Han watched as her Ghhhk moved forward once space, shaking his head in disappointment at the same time R2 let out a triumphant trill as his K’lor’slug took down her Ghhhk. Kirana let out an indignant huff and clenched her hands, glaring at the droid across from her. 

Han let out a chuckle and caught the girl’s eyes. “I’d be careful, Artoo. You never know what a Jedi will pull.” He imitated a lightsaber and pointed it towards R2 who feigned fear and rolled away. He looked towards Kirana who just silently switched off the Dejarik board, resting her hands in her lap as if she were some mini-Jedi herself. He placed his hand on his hip. “That was a joke, it’s okay to laugh.”

Kirana only glanced at him, an irritated puff of air coming out of her mouth. She stood and slung her bag over her shoulder. “What room will I be taking?”

Han blinked, unused to people not snapping back at him for his...annoyance. “Down that hall, right, and then a sharp left.”

Without even a thank you, she went to venture the Falcon. Han opened his mouth a few times and then closed it with a soft snap, his hand clenching. He surely hoped that Jaina wouldn’t be this bitter when she was Kirana’s age seeing as the girl was 5 minutes into their trip and was already testing the waters. 

The smuggler walked into the cockpit, his arms flying soon as Chewbacca glanced over at him. “That girl is...hnng! Irritating!”

Chewbacca gave him a look. [ _You act the same way around company_.]

Han gave him a flat look. “Whose side are you on?”

[ _Whichever side has logic_ .] Chewbacca flipped some switches and pulled on a lever. [ _Clearly not yours_.]

Han side heavily, his hand resting on the lever next to Chewbacca’s. “Some day, we’re going to get a hold on your attitude.” He smirked over while Chewbacca gawuffed. “Let’s go!”

  
  
  


\-----------

  
  
  


“Babababa!’ 

Din peeked an eye open upon the small and squeaky babble next to him. The child was sitting on the top of his stomach while using his three fingered hand against his beskar armoured chest. The man couldn’t resist the almost silent sigh that left his lips as he allowed the Child to reach forward and attempt to shake his head. 

This happened every time they attempted nap time, after 15 to 20 minutes the Child would get bored or hungry and want to proceed with their previous endeavors. He wanted to just get some shut eye before this Jedi and his friends arrived since it had been 3 days since he received an answer, telling him that he should be prepared for their arrival. 

Yet it seemed the Child had a different idea. 

“Baba! Baba!” The Child said even louder, making grabby hands at Din. 

“Alright, okay. I’m up.” He assured the Child, holding his finger up which he happily took in one of his hands as he gave a gleeful giggle in return. 

One (and only) of the Child’s words was “baba” which he would repeat endlessly whenever he was talking to Din. He assumed that that’s just his way of saying his name (after all he had revealed a great many things to the Child since their first introduction). Every time the Child said it, he was listening and watching as he wiggled around and continued to speak. Although Din couldn’t understand what he was talking about, Din found it all interesting and eye opening. 

After another moment of him just babbling Din’s ear off, he opened the hatch of their little room and wiggled out. He allowed himself to stretch and helped the Child to the ground so could follow if he liked or walk wherever he liked. Din was making a beeline to the small container of various foods when the Child hobbled over to one of their recent pick-ups he seemingly couldn’t stay away from. 

Din stared at the ration bar in his hand when he heard that familiar and almost sickening pop. He snapped his head over to see that the Child had opened up a container filled with a rare fish he had been quested to return to Farjah Wakka. Although this was proving difficult after every 5 seconds his child was running towards them and eating them whole. 

He rushed over as the Child reached in for another fish, pushing it away and pointing a very aggressive finger at him. “No, no.” He scolded, his voice firm and making it clear that he shouldn’t be doing this. 

The Child let out a whine, leaning on the verge of crying. A tactic he had recently learned would get him what he wanted from Din seeing as he usually hated seeing the Child cry. After Din found out of this little trick, he usually would carry on with his tasks. 

He broke the ration bar in two and held out one half to the Child which he took without any hesitation, immediately stuffing the food into his mouth. Din shook his head and let out a huff. 

“You’d probably eat dirt if it was breathing.” He remarked bitterly. 

Before much more could be said, he could overhear a rather large ship landing outside. He stood, knowing that it would just have to be the arrival of his new allies (or possible enemies depending on how this goes). He picked up the Child and placed him back into his cot, staring at him for a long moment just to take in his wide eyed innocence. He reached out a gently caressed the Child’s ear, a reassuring gesture that they had developed. 

He made a silent agreement for him to stay safe inside of the Razor Crest. He stepped back, his face pinching up when the Child reached out to him and made a grabby motion. Din pressed the button and the door hissed closed as he walked towards the ramp and exited. 

Next to him in the clearing of the forest was a rather large Corellian ship, it looked like that at any moment it would fall apart. Din placed his hand on his holster and was ready to draw if need be. There was no movement from the ship and no hint that there was really anyone going to come out. 

That was until the ramp touched down and two figures stepped out with a Wookiee and R2 unit close behind. 

Din had to only assume that this was Han Solo, Chewbacca, R2-D2, and the last one couldn’t possibly be Luke Skywalker. All of the stories about this supposed Rebel hero made them appear more...older. Maybe even a little taller and a bit more courageous than the person that was approaching with an awe stuck expression. 

Han came to a stop, watching the Mandalorian closely. There was at least ten feet between Din and the others, which was a comfortable distance for everyone right at the moment. 

The smuggler looked him up and down then past him with a frown. “Where’s this endangered kid?” He asked bluntly, straight to the point. 

Din shifted on his feet. “Hidden until I know all of these intentions are good.”

“ _You’re_ worried about _us_?” The not-so-Luke Skywalker snapped, glaring at Din with rage as their hand twitched towards their hip. “You’re the Mandalorian here.”

Din moved on his feet again, prepared to attack if need be. His hand inched closer to his blaster, his jaw twitching behind his helmet. “I am here to help.”

Han held out a hand, pushing the small Jedi back and sending them a glare. He took a few steps closer to Din while talking smoothly, surely trying to calm the situation. “Look, we’ll leave the kid out of it-- it’s her first big mission-- we just need to see your kid.” The older man’s face screwed up and he looked to the ground. “Or the kid you have--or you’re kid, if you swing that way..”

“He is not mine.” Din affirmed although he felt some guilt for disregarding his importance in the Child’s life. “But I am his caretaker.”

“Foundling.” The Jedi snapped, Chewbacca barking at her.

Din nodded slowly. “Where is the Jedi Luke Skywalker?”

Han blinked, glancing at his friends before addressing Din again. “He’s with the New Republic on Chandrila.” 

Din shook his head, more annoyed than anything. “I was seeking Jedi Skywalker’s help.” 

It seemed that the New Republic didn’t really take his request for help seriously. Although he didn’t exactly blame them for being hesitant about sending their biggest hero to help some random Mandalorian. They were enemies after all. Din would admit he had a prejudice against Jedi, he had heard that they had taken children from their parents, that they had taught them and sent them into war as children. 

The Jedi were at fault for the death and destruction of his people. The reason that Mandalore was occupied now by the remaining Imperials or whatever branches of that regime were left.

He wanted nothing more than to make his way through the Republic’s government and talk to this Jedi, to explain that he truly did seek guidance and that he would bring no harm as long as the Child remained safe and that they helped him reach his people. That’s all he wished for and all he could possibly bargain for. 

“Luke sends his regards,” Han placed his hands on his hips and shifted his jaw. “Look, we need to se--whoa.”

Din frowned and then turned at what they were looking at to see that the Child had so humbly let himself out of his room and made his way outside. The little green child’s eyes brightened once he spotted the man that he had grown used to seeing as a father. His arms reached out and he started to rush towards him while babbling. Din bent down and lifted him up, staring down at him as he nestled himself into the crook of his arm. 

“Are you okay?” He asked softly, not wanting the others to hear his vulnerability. To know that this child in his arms was his one and only true weakness. 

The Child let out various sounds, patting the armour on Din’s chest in response. 

‘ _I’ll take that as a yes_.’ 

No one seemed to talk except the R2 unit that rushed forward with a flurry of binary. Din quickly drew his blaster, pointing it towards the droid. The Mandalorian still experienced prejudice against droids due to his early life, he surely didn’t trust droids around the kid. Not after IG…

There were various clicks as blasters drew on him. The one Jedi activated her lightsaber to reveal a yellow saber. 

“You shoot him, you’re dead.” The Jedi warned. 

[ _You’ll be_ stunned _._ ] Chewbacca corrected, shooting a look towards the Jedi. 

R2 came to a stop in front of Din and his head spun around as he spoke. Din glanced to the owners of said droid, trying to gain any type of hint as to what he could be saying. The only person that seemed to understand was Han as he rolled his eyes, huffing. 

“Not this Yoda guy again!” 

The Jedi straightened, looking over to Han. “You know Master Yoda?”

Han shot her a look. “You really think Luke would be able to shut his mouth about that?”

“I don’t know. Master Luke can be reserved--”

“Don’t lie to yourself,”

“Okay, he’s usually _overshares_ but--”

“Who is this Master Yoda?” Din broke over their bickering, not caring nor really interested in whatever ‘Master Luke’ talked about in his free time. 

Han looked back to him and the Jedi did the same, her eyes rested on the Child in his arms this time. Her expression softened and her head cocked to the side in wonder as she let out a soft gasp, her lightsaber shut off with a _ZZ-IPP_. Although the Jedi remained cautious, she did start to approach. 

She stood now 4 feet away from Din, his blaster was carefully placed back in the holster. He watched her carefully as she too placed her weapon on her belt. 

“He’s Force sensitive?” She inquired, her eyes twinkling and her finger hesitantly pointed towards the child that watched her big wondrous eyes. 

Din hesitantly nodded. “I believe so.” 

The Child looked back at the Jedi and his own eyes widened (if that was even possible), his little hand reached out to her but it wasn’t his usual grabby motion but more of a true reach. The Jedi blinked at him and glanced at Din before motioning for R2 to move. 

“I think Master Luke will want to see this.”

Din frowned at them, his hands working nervously. “Just like that you contact him?” 

“Just like that.” 

Han waved them over, placing his blaster away. “Come on, we can make a transmission to Luke from inside.” He and Chewbacca were quick to enter their ship. 

Din was stuck left behind with the Jedi and the R2 unit which unsettled him greatly. He knew at some point he would have to get used to this world, especially if he wanted to work with these people to help the Child. Being uncomfortable would possibly always be a factor but to be able to talk and to interact without pulling out any blasters or lightsabers might be able to help them both.

One of the many troubles of being Din Djarin: you are afraid of nothing but something bigger than life.

The inside of the ship was even more nasty and ran down, soon as they had entered the Child made a noise that Din would assume disdain due to the smell. Possibly it was the Wookiee or just the smell of the crew after their three day trip. He was inviting anyone who thought the Razor Crest was bad to come and spend a day in this thing. He was confident the idea would change. 

Din watched as R2 rolled over to a charging port and possibly just there to watch while Han was messing with some portable holocom that was placed on a Dejarik. As he fiddled with that, Chewbacca sat down and watched the Mandalorian guest and the Jedi moved closer to the holocom, obviously getting ready to talk to her master. 

He kept quiet, his hand softly patting the back of the Child who seemed confused as to what his caretaker was possibly getting them into this time. Thankfully, it wasn’t anything dangerous.

At least, not right now. 

The holocom was old and out of date but it seemed to work after Han slammed his fist over the top of it as it whirred on. It had Aurebesh present asking for what contact they would like to base a connection with in big letters, almost as if it was a beacon. He tilted his head as Han pressed the one that clearly stated ‘ _THE KID_ ’. 

Din wondered just how buddy-buddy you had to be with the most feared Jedi in the galaxy to nickname him ‘kid’. Unless Luke Skywalker was indeed younger than Din had first thought. 

The machine let out a sickening trilling that made everyone cover at least one ear while Din brought the child closer to cover both his ears from the noise. It was high pitched, long, and loud that just seemed to break the eardrum just right. 

“Can you really not turn that down?” Din called over the noise, his head twitching to the side in an attempt to shield himself from the noise. 

“No! He ought to answer!” Han responded loudly. 

The Child let out a whimper and brought his face into Din’s chest in an attempt to hide himself away from the noise. The Mandalorian let out a shushing noise in response, hoping to soothe him. 

From the corner of his eyes, he could see the Jedi send him quite the curious look. 

Before she could possibly ask him any questions, the trilling stopped and a man that Din had never seen before appeared in holoform. His features were not defined but he could make out some things like that his hair was an absolute mess, that his clothes were rather grim, and that the grin on his face did not match the rest of him. Din clutched the Child closer even as he lifted his head to look at the man. 

‘ _So this is Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, the legend._ ’ The man thought to himself. Definitely not the picture he had imagined after Cobb’s description of him. 

“ _Han_ ,” Luke smiled friendly at his friend and then turned his head to the Jedi who stood next to the General. “ _Kirana. Good to see you both, Leia was starting to think the Falcon finally blew up in hyperspace_.”

Kirana gave Han an amused smirk while Han rolled his eyes. “The vote of confidence is enduring, it really is.” 

“ _Ah, well, I think she’s finally understanding the stay at home dad thing._ ” Luke raised his eyebrows and grinned sheepishly. “ _She made me go home last night because I was supposedly ‘being cocky’. I thought we were getting along well_.”

“Yeah, because you let the kids do whatever they want.” Han pointed out matter-of-factly. 

Luke sputtered, shaking his head. “ _I do not! I can be strict!_ ” 

“When is the last time you looked Jaina and Jacen in the eyes and told them ‘no’?” 

Luke stood there and thought before he shook his head, glaring teasingly at his brother-in-law. “ _That’s besides the point. Surely, you didn’t call me to discuss my uncle skills?_ ”

“No, we didn’t.” Kirana spoke up, shifting. She glanced over at Din and motioned him forward who stuck in his spot. “We found the Mandalorian.”

Luke’s eyes brightened and he looked _giddy_ , something that Din hadn’t expected to see from him either. He clasped his hands together in front of him. “ _I assume he’s present there with you?_ ” 

They all looked to him and Din took a hesitant step forward, watching as Luke’s eyes rested on him and frowned at the bundle in his arms. “Master Skywalker,” greeted the man. 

Luke’s eyes squinted while he smiled softly. “ _Please, call me Luke_.

Din clenched his jaw and

nodded stiffly. “Luke,” he allowed there to be some type of connection between himself and the Jedi. 

Luke gave a satisfied hum, his hands rubbing together as he directed his attention to the bundle in his arms. “ _ Is that the child? _ ” 

As if recognizing that the attention was on him, the Child lifted his head and blinked up at the hologram in front of him. Luke blinked back, obviously reeling back with raised eyebrows and he started to sputter, looking to Han with wide eyes and gesturing to the other man as if he was asking if he saw the same thing he did. The general gave a nod and Luke turned back to the child. 

“ _ Yoda, _ ” his voice was breathless and almost as if he was shaken to his core. He brought his fingers nervously to lips and shook his head. “ _ I-I don’t understand _ ..”

Din grumbled while the Child squealed and waved towards Luke, the man could only wave back subconsciously. Everyone was comparing his kid to this Yoda guy and no one was really giving him any other answer as to who Yoda really was. 

“Who is Yoda?” 

Luke rubbed at his jaw, staring at the Child the whole time. “ _ He was my master-- not for long of course but he was still my master. He died many years ago though.. _ ”

“What was his species?” Din asked hoping that this whole mystery could be over soon and that he would be able to find the Child’s people soon enough. 

“ _ I’m _ \--” The hologram before them switched off and the trilling returned. Han stumbled forward and switched the tone off, frowning deeply as he punched over it a few times. 

“What happened?” Kirana asked, staring at the holocom. 

Han huffed, eyeing the machine warily. “Someone’s jammed our transmissions.” He looked towards Din with raised eyebrows. “You didn’t call one of your friends, did you?”

Din let out a huff. “I don’t have friends.” 

Han worked his jaw and rolled his eyes. “Can’t imagine why. Okay,” he turned towards Chewbacca and pointed towards where the cockpit would be, “go make sure the ship is ready for take off. I’ve got a feeling that we'll have some visitors soon.”

He spoke too soon as there was the familiar screeching of TIEs outside that made the group glance at one another as Din moved towards the ramp of the Falcon. He wanted to make it back to the Razor Crest before the TIEs could possibly destroy the ships. 

In the sky above them were about three TIEs getting ready to make a run and the sound of stormtroopers approaching could be heard. He held the Child closer and picked up his pace only for a hand to grab his wrist, pulling him back. 

Kirana stared up at him with suspicion. “What are you doing?”

Din wished she could see the glare that he was giving her behind his helmet just so he could get the satisfaction of her recoiling. “I’m going to go to Chandrila.”

“I can’t let you get away with the child.” Kirana shook her head, seemingly completely blocking out what was approaching. 

Din pulled his wrist back and walked towards his ship again. “Go join your friends.” 

“You’re coming back with us!” She stumbled forward and stood in front of him, crossing her arms. “I’m not going to let you get away with this.”

Din so desperately wanted to knock her on her ass but decided that she was a kid and it would probably look bad if he did such. His eyes drifted towards the sky and he grabbed her arm. 

“Down!” 

Kirana hesitated for too long because the shot from the TIE perfectly struck near them, sending them a few feet in the air and closer to the Razor Crest. Din let out a soft groan, his back flaring in pain as he sat up, looking towards the downed Jedi with a sigh. She was seemingly out cold which left Din to help her. 

He noticed that his grip on the Child had been lost and his panic flushed over him. He looked around and saw that R2 was holding up the Child with his tiny metal arm. Although it was a relief that he was being brought back to safety, he wished that it was towards him and not onto the Falcon. 

Yet Din stood, stumbling a bit at the nausea he experienced due to the impact of his head on the ground. He waved to R2. “Take him to the ship! We’ll make it to Chandrila!”

R2 let out a furious set of trills, something along the lines of Din not hurting her. 

“She’ll be safe, go!” Din reached down and grabbed, Kirana under her legs and behind her back. He glanced at the TIEs again, finding them circling over again. 

“This better be worth it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some big stuff happening to get the ball rolling! Tell me what you're thinking, what do you think will come next, I'm interested in hearing from you!

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think.


End file.
